The Problems of Labour Shortages in the Construction Industry in Cambodia

Abstract

Cambodia is one of the developing countries in Southeast Asia. Since the last decade, the construction industry has slightly improved through investment from foreign investors especially Chinese investors. The main focus of development is in Phnom Penh, the capital city of Cambodia. With the country’s small population and low rate of advancement in the construction industry, Cambodia has faced the problem of a labor shortage considerably. This research aims to identify the causes of labor shortages and possible solutions or strategies to solve labor shortages problems in Cambodia. The research conducted a semi-structured interview with experienced experts, followed by a Delphi questionnaire survey. The finding of major cause of labor shortage is the government policy in maintaining wages of construction labor low in order to attract foreign investors. Contractors are preferably implementing solutions or strategies to cope with problems that can gain fast results in recruiting more labors.